Human anti-amyloid β peptide antibody and fragment of said antibody

ABSTRACT

A human anti-amyloid β peptide (hereinafter referred to as “Aβ”) antibody that binds to Aβ to thereby inhibit aggregation of Aβ molecules, and a fragment of said antibody are provided. The antibody and a fragment thereof according to the present invention, comprising a variable region of a human-derived anti-Aβ antibody, strongly reacts with Aβ to thereby inhibit its aggregation and hence may be used as a medicament for the prophylaxis and treatment of Alzheimer dementia.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a human anti-amyloid β peptide (hereinafter referred to as “Aβ”) antibody that binds to Aβ to thereby inhibit aggregation of Aβ molecules, and a fragment of said antibody. The antibody and a fragment thereof according to the present invention are expected to be useful as a medicament for the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer dementia wherein aggregates formation of Aβ molecules and its toxicity are thought to be one of etiologies of this disease.

BACKGROUND ART

Although an onset mechanism of Alzheimer dementia has not yet been fully elucidated, it is thought that toxicity to neuronal cells of aggregates of Aβ molecules may play an important role. A matter of aggregates formation of Aβ molecules is a matter of conformation of Aβ molecules.

Aβ molecules are degradation products produced by cleavage of neuronal amyloid precursor proteins with e.g. β secretase and include two variants, i.e. Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 (hereinafter referred to as “Aβ42”). Among the two variants, it is reported that Aβ42 is more likely to aggregate and is more correlated with diseases and neurotoxicity than Aβ1-40. Also, localization of microglias and astrocytes in Aβ plaques present in the brain is observed and is suggested to correlate with neurotoxicity.

It is hypothesized that accumulation of Aβ, when viewed from different angle, may be an aging process of individuals and hence, when accumulation of Aβ exceeds its threshold value as a consequence of loss of balance in clearance, onset of disease results. Based on these hypotheses, there have been attempts to develop a small molecular size inhibitor to β secretase involved in cleavage of the precursor protein so as to inhibit the Aβ production per se. However, a mechanism of Aβ production is not so plain and the results obtained heretofore are not necessarily satisfactory.

On the other hand, a report by B. Solomon et al. (see Non-patent reference 1) for in vitro inhibition of Aβ aggregation with an anti-Aβ antibody, an antibody to the N-terminal of Aβ, and a report by Schenk et al. (see Non-patent reference 2) that administration of Aβ42 prior to aggregation in admixture with adjuvant to mice reduced deposition of cerebral amyloids, had opened up a road to a new immunotherapy. In fact, a vaccine therapy for Alzheimer dementia with Aβ has been attempted to prove its efficacy to some extent, such as reduction in deposition of cerebral amyloids (see Non-patent references 3 and 4). However, while efficacy may be observed with a vaccine therapy, serious detrimental side effects may also be seen due to induction of inflammatory reactions by activation of T cells and thus a vaccine therapy has not yet been established as a safe and efficacious approach for the prophylaxis and treatment of the disease.

It is presumed that efficacy of an Aβ vaccine therapy may be due to localized, activated microglia cells that take in via Fc receptor and decompose deposited Aβ antigen-antibody complex and that may bind to a soluble Aβ to prevent local deposition.

On the other hand, McLaurin et al. demonstrated that passive immunity with an antibody to Aβ4-10, a terminal portion of Aβ molecule, could effectively inhibit or delay onset of disease in experiments performed in mice (see Non-patent reference 5). In case of passive immunity for transfer of an antibody, induction of an inflammatory reaction due to activation of T cells is unlikely to occur but as little as 0.1% or less of anti-Aβ antibodies in serum may pass through the blood-brain barrier to thereby necessitate frequent administration of a large amount.

Non-patent reference 1: Solomon, B. et al., (1996) Pro. Natl. Acad. Sci., 93, 452-455

Non-patent reference 2: Schenk, D. et al., (1999) Nature, 400, 173

Non-patent reference 3: Nicoll, J. A. et al., (2003) Nature Medicine, 9, 448

Non-patent reference 4: Monsonego, A. et al., (2003) Science, 302, 834-838

Non-patent reference 5: McLaurin et al., (2002) Nature Medicine, 8, 1263-1269

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

For addressing a risk of detrimental side effects as well as frequent administration of a large amount, lowered immunogenicity of an antibody per se is significant. Besides, it is also reported that an antibody in a smaller size would be advantageous for transfer through the blood-brain barrier. It is thus expected that a wholly human antibody that is specific to Aβ molecule and that may be made in a smaller size would be highly efficacious as a medicament for treating Alzheimer dementia.

Moreover, a matter of aggregates formation of Aβ molecules is a matter of conformation of Aβ molecules. Therefore, the presence of a molecule that may inhibit or regulate a structural change of Aβ molecules, i.e. a chaperone-like molecule specific to Aβ molecules, would provide possibility to regulate aggregates formation of Aβ molecules. An antibody with a chaperone-like activity has been reported and hence an anti-Aβ antibody may also be well expected to have such activity.

In addition, for diagnosis of Alzheimer dementia, amyloid imaging approach for early detection of formation and deposition of abnormal Aβ molecules has drawn attention wherein development of probe techniques is essential. However, an intracerebral imaging technique has not yet been developed that may specifically detect abnormal Aβ molecules with high sensitivity. Thus, capacity to pass through the blood-brain barrier and to detect early intracerebral deposition of abnormal Aβ molecules would lead to excellent diagnosis of the disease.

Means for Solving the Problems

With the views mentioned above, the present inventors isolated human antibodies that may specifically bind to Aβ42 with a human antibody phage display library to thereby succeed in isolation of six human single chain variable regions (scFv), which may specifically bind to Aβ42, and of a VL chain which could exert binding specificity to Aβ with a light (L) chain variable region (VL chain or VL) alone of an antibody unlike ordinary scFv. Moreover, the present inventors have found that these scFvs and VL chain inhibited aggregation of Aβ to thereby have completed the present invention.

Thus, the present invention encompasses the inventions (1) to (32) as described below for methods and materials that may be useful from medical and industrial point of view.

(1) A human anti-amyloid β peptide (Aβ) antibody that may bind to Aβ.

(2) The human anti-Aβ antibody according to (1) wherein complementarity determining region (CDR) of H chain has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (a) or (b) below and complementarity determining region (CDR) of L chain has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (c) or (d) below:

(a) the amino acid sequences as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 2, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72, 82 or 92 for CDR1, in any one of SEQ ID NO: 3, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83 or 93 for CDR2, and in any one of SEQ ID NO: 4, 14, 24, 34, 44, 54, 64, 74, 84 or 94 for CDR3;

(b) the amino acid sequences as depicted in SEQ ID NOs: 2-4, 12-14, 22-24, 32-34, 42-44, 52-54, 62-64, 72-74, 82-84 or 92-94, or said amino acid sequences with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as complementarity determining region of H chain to Aβ, for CDRs 1-3;

(c) the amino acid sequences as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 77, 87, 97 or 102 for CDR1, in any one of SEQ ID NO: 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68, 78, 88, 98 or 103 for CDR2, and in any one of SEQ ID NO: 9, 19, 29, 39, 49, 59, 69, 79, 89, 99 or 104 for CDR3;

(d) the amino acid sequences as depicted in SEQ ID NOs: 7-9, 17-19, 27-29, 37-39, 47-49, 57-59, 67-69, 77-79, 87-89, 97-99 or 102-104, or said amino acid sequences with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as complementarity determining region of L chain to Aβ, for CDRs 1-3.

(3) The human anti-Aβ antibody according to (2) wherein the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 for H chain are those selected from combinations of SEQ ID NOs: 2-4, 12-14, 22-24, 32-34, 42-44, 52-54, 62-64, 72-74, 82-84 or 92-94, and the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 for L chain are those selected from combinations of SEQ ID NOs: 7-9, 17-19, 27-29, 37-39, 47-49, 57-59, 67-69, 77-79, 87-89, 97-99 or 102-104.

(4) The human anti-Aβ antibody according to (3) wherein the amino acid sequences of a combination of CDRs 1-3 for H chain and CDRs 1-3 for L chain are any of combinations of SEQ ID NOs: 2-4 and 7-9, SEQ ID NOs: 12-14 and 17-19, SEQ ID NOs: 22-24 and 27-29, SEQ ID NOs: 32-34 and 37-39, SEQ ID NOs: 42-44 and 47-49, SEQ ID NOs: 52-54 and 57-59, SEQ ID NOs: 62-64 and 67-69, SEQ ID NOs: 72-74 and 77-79, SEQ ID NOs: 82-84 and 87-89 or SEQ ID NOs: 92-94 and 97-99.

(5) The human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (1) to (4) wherein H chain variable region has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (e) or (f) below and L chain variable region has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (g) or (h) below:

(e) the amino acid sequence selected from any one of SEQ ID NO: 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81 or 91;

(f) the amino acid sequence as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81 or 91 with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as H chain variable region to Aβ;

(g) the amino acid sequence selected from any one of SEQ ID NO: 6, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 66, 77, 86, 96 or 101;

(h) the amino acid sequence as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 6, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 66, 77, 86, 96 or 101 with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as L chain variable region to Aβ.

(6) The human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (1) to (5) wherein the amino acid sequences of a combination of H chain variable region and L chain variable region are those of a combination of SEQ ID NOs: 1 and 6, SEQ ID NOs: 11 and 16, SEQ ID NOs: 21 and 26, SEQ ID NOs: 31 and 36, SEQ ID NOs: 41 and 46, SEQ ID NOs: 51 and 56, SEQ ID NOs: 61 and 66, SEQ ID NOs: 71 and 76, SEQ ID NOs: 81 and 86, or SEQ ID NOs: 91 and 96.

(7) The human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (1) to (6) wherein said Aβ is fibrillar Aβ.

(8) An H chain variable region fragment of a human anti-amyloid β peptide (Aβ) antibody that may bind to Aβ.

(9) The H chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to (8) wherein complementarity determining region (CDR) has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (a) or (b) below:

(a) the amino acid sequences as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 2, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72, 82 or 92 for CDR1, in any one of SEQ ID NO: 3, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83 or 93 for CDR2, and in any one of SEQ ID NO: 4, 14, 24, 34, 44, 54, 64, 74, 84 or 94 for CDR3;

(b) the amino acid sequences as depicted in SEQ ID NOs: 2-4, 12-14, 22-24, 32-34, 42-44, 52-54, 62-64, 72-74, 82-84 or 92-94, or said amino acid sequences with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as complementarity determining region of H chain to Aβ, for CDRs 1-3.

(10) The H chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to (9) wherein the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 are those selected from combinations of SEQ ID NOs: 2-4, 12-14, 22-24, 32-34, 42-44, 52-54, 62-64, 72-74, 82-84 or 92-94.

(11) The H chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (8) to (10) wherein said fragment has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (e) or (f) below:

(e) the amino acid sequence selected from any one of SEQ ID NO: 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81 or 91;

(f) the amino acid sequence as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 1, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81 or 91 with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as H chain variable region to Aβ.

(12) The H chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (8) to (11) wherein said Aβ is fibrillar Aβ.

(13) An L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-amyloid β peptide (Aβ) antibody that may bind to Aβ.

(14) The L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to (13) wherein complementarity determining region (CDR) has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (c) or (d) below:

(c) the amino acid sequences as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 77, 87, 97 or 102 for CDR1, in any one of SEQ ID NO: 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68, 78, 88, 98 or 103 for CDR2, and in any one of SEQ ID NO: 9, 19, 29, 39, 49, 59, 69, 79, 89, 99 or 104 for CDR3;

(d) the amino acid sequences as depicted in SEQ ID NOs: 7-9, 17-19, 27-29, 37-39, 47-49, 57-59, 67-69, 77-79, 87-89, 97-99 or 102-104, or said amino acid sequences with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as complementarity determining region of L chain to Aβ, for CDRs 1-3.

(15) The L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to (14) wherein the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 are those selected from combinations of SEQ ID NOs: 7-9, 17-19, 27-29, 37-39, 47-49, 57-59, 67-69, 77-79, 87-89, 97-99 or 102-104.

(16) The L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (8) to (10) wherein said fragment has the amino acid sequence depicted either in (g) or (h) below:

(g) the amino acid sequence selected from any one of SEQ ID NO: 6, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 66, 77, 86, 96 or 101;

(h) the amino acid sequence as depicted in any one of SEQ ID NO: 6, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 66, 77, 86, 96 or 101 with substitution, deletion, insertion and/or addition of one or more amino acid residues that may serve as L chain variable region to Aβ.

(17) The L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (13) to (16) wherein said Aβ is fibrillar Aβ.

(18) A single chain variable region fragment of a human-derived antibody to Aβ comprising the H chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (8) to (12) and the L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (13) to (17) bound to each other.

(19) A human-derived antibody to Aβ or a fragment of said antibody comprising a constant region of a human-derived antibody bound to the H chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (8) to (12) and/or to the L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody according to any one of (13) to (17).

(20) The antibody fragment according to (19) wherein said antibody fragment is Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)₂, scAb, or scFv-Fc.

(21) A human-derived antibody to Aβ or a fragment of said antibody comprising an L chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ antibody having the amino acid sequence as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 101 and a constant region of a human-derived antibody bound to each other.

(22) A fused antibody or a fragment thereof comprising the antibody or a fragment thereof according to any one of (1) to (21) fused to a peptide or other protein.

(23) A modified antibody or a fragment thereof comprising the antibody or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to any one of (1) to (22) bound to a modifying agent.

(24) A gene coding for the antibody or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to any one of (1) to (22).

(25) A recombinant expression vector comprising the gene according to (24).

(26) A transfectant with the gene according to (24) introduced therein.

(27) A method for producing a human anti-Aβ antibody or a fragment thereof by expression of the gene according to (24) in a host cell.

(28) A genetic medicament comprising the gene according to (24).

(29) A reagent for detection of Aβ employing the antibody or a fragment thereof according to any one of (1) to (21), or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to (22), or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to (23).

(30) A diagnostic for Alzheimer dementia employing the antibody or a fragment thereof according to any one of (1) to (21), or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to (22), or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to (23).

(31) An inhibitor to Aβ aggregation employing the antibody or a fragment thereof according to any one of (1) to (21), or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to (22), or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to (23).

(32) A medicament for the prophylaxis and treatment of Alzheimer dementia employing the antibody or a fragment thereof according to any one of (1) to (21), or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to (22), or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to (23).

These anti-Aβ antibodies and a fragment thereof, in spite of their small molecular size such as scFv or VL, were proved to effectively inhibit aggregation of Aβ in vitro. The antibody according to the present invention may be designed to pass through the blood-brain barrier via antibody engineering as it has a quite small molecular weight, including e.g. a fused antibody with transferrin to enable its transfer through the blood-brain barrier via a transferrin receptor and a bispecific antibody.

It is also possible to fuse the antibody with an antibody to P glycoprotein or with a protein or a small molecule that may interact with a receptor involved in drug transfer through the blood-brain barrier. Alternatively, it is also possible to display these antibodies on fibrous phages with excellent membrane permeability and low antigenicity for transfer into the brain, as reported by McCafferty et al., Nature, 348:552-554, 1990.

Alternatively, it is also possible to attach to these antibodies a region that may interact with Fc receptor so as to remove accumulated Aβ aggregates in the brain via their interaction with microglias.

The antibody according to the present invention, being a wholly human antibody, allows for not only diagnostic imaging but also development of a method for the treatment by inhibiting an aggregation process of Aβ molecules. Thus, the present invention would greatly contribute to therapy of Alzheimer dementia.

MORE EFFICACIOUS EFFECTS THAN PRIOR ART

The human monoclonal antibody and a fragment thereof according to the present invention, comprising a variable region of a human-derived anti-Aβ antibody, strongly reacts with Aβ to thereby inhibit its aggregation and hence may be used as a medicament for the prophylaxis and treatment of Alzheimer dementia.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graph showing the results of ELISA where specificity to Aβ42 peptide of scFv from the isolated clones was estimated.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the results of ELISA where solubility and specificity to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide of scFv from the isolated clones were estimated.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the results of Western blot analysis to confirm expression of expressed scFv-His6 and VL-D1-D2-His with an anti-His6 antibody.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of ELISA where specificity to Aβ42 peptide of VL-D1-D2-His was estimated.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the results of fluorescent thioflavin test where the activity of purified scFv to inhibit fibrillar amyloid formation of Aβ42 peptide was estimated.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing concentration-dependency of the activity to inhibit aggregation of Aβ42 peptide by purified scFv (Fv1E4).

FIG. 7 is a graph showing concentration-dependency of the activity to inhibit aggregation of Aβ42 peptide by purified scFv (B7).

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a binding property of scFv display phages to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing a binding property of scFv to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the results of fluorescent thioflavin test where the activity of purified scFv to inhibit fibrillar amyloid formation of Aβ42 peptide was estimated.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing concentration-dependency of the activity to inhibit aggregation of Aβ42 peptide by purified scFv.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing a binding property of purified tat peptide-fused VL chain to Aβ42 peptide.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing concentration-dependency of the activity to inhibit aggregation of Aβ42 peptide by purified tat peptide-fused VL chain.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The antibody and a fragment thereof such as scFv according to the present invention were obtained as described below.

From peripheral B lymphocytes taken from 20 healthy donors, cDNAs of each of immunoglobulin heavy (H) chain and light (L) chain were amplified by RT-PCR and combined together with a linker DNA to prepare scFv DNAs where the H chain variable region (VH chain or VH) and VL chain DNAs from lymphocytes of healthy donors were in random combination.

The scFv DNAs were incorporated into phagemid vector pCANTAB5E to prepare a scFv display phage library consisting of 10⁹ clones from healthy donors. This library was then combined with Aβ immobilized on a solid phase and an anti-Aβ scFv display phage clone was recovered, concentrated and screened. As a result, respective screened clones produced scFv antibody or VL fragment that bound to Aβ.

For expression of scFv or VL fragment, they may be expressed e.g. in E. coli. When expressed in E. coli, scFv may be expressed as being functionally bound with a conventional useful promoter, a signal sequence for secretion of an antibody, and the like. The promoter includes, for instance, lacZ promoter, araB promoter, and the like. For a signal sequence for secretion of scFv, pelB signal sequence (Lei, S P. et al., J. Bacteriol., 1987, 169: 4379-4383) may favorably be used. For secretion in culture supernatant, a signal sequence of g3 protein from M13 phage may be used.

Likewise, in case of VL fragment, it may be expressed alone or in the form of a fused protein as being bound with other peptides or proteins.

The thus expressed scFv may be isolated from within and without the host cells and purified to homogeneity. The scFv expressed in accordance with the present invention, as being bound with E tag sequence at its C-terminal, may easily be purified by affinity chromatography with an anti-E tag antibody in a short time. It may also be purified by a combination of the conventional methods commonly used for isolation and purification of a protein. For instance, ultrafiltration, salting-out, and different chromatography such as gel filtration/ion exchange/hydrophobic chromatography may be combined to isolate and purify the antibody.

The scFv protein and VL chain obtained in accordance with the present invention were found to bind to Aβ. Measurement for the antigen-binding activity of the anti-Aβ antibody as used herein includes ELISA, BIAcore, and the like. For ELISA, a sample containing the anti-Aβ antibody or a fragment thereof of interest, e.g. culture supernatant of E. coli or the purified antibody, may be added to a 96-well plate with immobilized Aβ. Then, a secondary antibody labeled with an enzyme such as peroxidase may be added to the plate. After incubation and washing of the plate, a developing substrate TMBZ may be added to the plate to measure absorbance for the estimation of the antigen-binding activity.

The thus obtained scFv and VL fragment were estimated for their ability to inhibit Aβ aggregation. As a consequence, it was revealed that the scFv and VL fragment could fully inhibit formation of Aβ aggregates.

This effect may be derived from binding to a normal type Aβ of the anti-Aβ antibody fragment of the present invention to thereby inhibit its structural conversion into an aggregate type Aβ. Such an effect implies that the antibody and a fragment thereof could well inhibit structural conversion into an aggregate type Aβ within the living body. Thus, these small sized antibodies may be expected for prophylactics for inhibiting the structural conversion of Aβ and also for a medicament for inhibiting progress of symptoms.

Besides, it was found that the anti-Aβ antibody fragment of the present invention comprises a sequence that reacts more strongly with an aggregate type Aβ than a normal type Aβ. It is thought that most of amyloids deposited in the brain are of an aggregate type Aβ or its fibrillar form, and reduction in cerebral amyloid deposition in the patients' brains observed in an attempt of pilot vaccine therapy is presumed to be due to the action of localized, activated microglia cells that take in via Fc receptor and decompose deposited Aβ antigen-antibody complex. Accordingly, the anti-Aβ antibody fragments of the present invention (Fv1E1, Fv1E4, Fv1E7, Fv2A7, Fv2A8, Fv2B6, B7, B6, F10, D1, and VLA2) may be divided into either:

(1) one which binds to a normal type Aβ alone to thereby inhibit its structural conversion into an aggregate type Aβ (VLA2);

(2) one which binds to an aggregate type Aβ or its fibrillar form alone to thereby remove an aggregate type Aβ, to inhibit increase in a fibrillar form of Aβ and to inhibit structural conversion of a normal type Aβ into an aggregate type Aβ (B6, F10, D1); or (3) one which possesses both properties (1) and (2) (Fv1E1, Fv1E4, Fv1E7, Fv2A7, Fv2A8, Fv2B6, B7). Any of (1) to (3) may be a promising medicament for the treatment of Alzheimer diseases.

Amino acid sequences and nucleotide sequences encoding the same of each VH chain and VL chain of the ten scFv (Fv1E1, Fv1E4, Fv1E7, Fv2A7, Fv2A8, Fv2B6, B7, B6, F10, D1) and the VL chain (VLA2) as mentioned above having the inhibitory activity are described below.

(1) Fv1E1 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone Fv1E1 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 1. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 2 to 4, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 1, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 30 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 2), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 3), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 107 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 4). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 5.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone Fv1E1 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 6. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 7 to 9, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 6, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 7), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 51 to No. 57 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 8), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 90 to No. 100 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 9). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 10.

(2) Fv1E4 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone Fv1E4 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 11. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 12 to 14, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 11, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 30 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 12), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 13), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 112 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 14). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 15.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone Fv1E4 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 16. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 17 to 19, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 16, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 36 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 17), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 52 to No. 58 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 18), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 91 to No. 100 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 19). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 20.

(3) Fv1E7 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone Fv1E7 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 21. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 22 to 24, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 21, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 30 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 22), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 23), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 111 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 24). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 25.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone Fv1E7 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 26. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 27 to 29, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 26, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 33 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 27), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 49 to No. 55 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 28), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 88 to No. 99 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 29). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 30.

(4) Fv2A7 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone Fv2A7 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 31. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 32 to 34, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 31, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 30 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 32), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 33), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 112 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 34). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 35.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone Fv2A7 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 36. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 37 to 39, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 36, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 24 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 37), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 51 to No. 57 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 38), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 90 to No. 98 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 39). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 40.

(5) Fv2A8 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone Fv2A8 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 41. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 42 to 44, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 41, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 30 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 42), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 68 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 43), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 101 to No. 112 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 44). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 45.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone Fv2A8 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 46. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 47 to 49, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 46, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 20 to No. 32 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 47), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 48 to No. 54 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 48), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 87 to No. 97 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 49). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 50.

(6) Fv2B6 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone Fv2B6 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 51. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 52 to 54, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 51, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 30 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 52), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 49 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 53), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 98 to No. 110 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 54). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 55.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone Fv2B6 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 56. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 57 to 59, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 56, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 36 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 57), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 52 to No. 58 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 58), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 91 to No. 99 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 59). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 60.

(7) B7 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone B7 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 61. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 62 to 64, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 61, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 31 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 62), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 63), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 112 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 64). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 65.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone B7 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 66. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 67 to 69, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 66, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 33 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 67), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 49 to No. 55 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 68), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 88 to No. 98 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 69). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 70.

(8) B6 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone B6 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 71. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 72 to 74, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 71, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 31 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 72), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 73), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 112 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 74). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 75.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone B6 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 76. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 77 to 79, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 76, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 33 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 77), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 49 to No. 55 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 78), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 88 to No. 98 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 79). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 80.

(9) F10 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone F10 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 81. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 82 to 84, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 81, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 31 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 82), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 83), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 114 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 84). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 85.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone F10 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 86. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 87 to 89, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 86, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 33 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 87), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 49 to No. 55 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 88), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 88 to No. 98 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 89). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 90.

(10) D1 Clone

The amino acid sequence of VH chain of the clone D1 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 91. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VH chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 92 to 94, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VH chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 91, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 31 to No. 35 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 92), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 50 to No. 66 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 93), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 99 to No. 106 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 94). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VH chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 95.

The amino acid sequence of VL chain of the clone D1 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 96. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 97 to 99, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 96, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 23 to No. 33 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 97), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 49 to No. 55 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 98), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 88 to No. 98 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 99). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 100.

(11) VLA2 Clone

The amino acid sequence of the clone VLA2 comprising VL chain alone is shown in SEQ ID NO: 101. Also, the amino acid sequences of CDR1 to CDR3 of said VL chain are shown in SEQ ID NOs: 102 to 104, respectively. Thus, in the amino acid sequence of VL chain as depicted in SEQ ID NO: 101, the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 24 to No. 40 corresponds to CDR1 (SEQ ID NO: 102), the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 56 to No. 62 to CDR2 (SEQ ID NO: 103), and the amino acid sequence of the amino acid residues No. 95 to No. 103 to CDR3 (SEQ ID NO: 104). The nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acid sequence of said VL chain is shown in SEQ ID NO: 105.

The amino acid sequences and the nucleotide sequences are described above for each of the clones obtained in accordance with the present invention. It may also be possible to use each of the sequences alone or in combination thereof based on the amino acid sequence information for VH chain, VL chain and each CDR 1 to CDR3 as depicted in Sequence Listing.

The antibody and a fragment thereof of the present invention may encompass not only those with VH chain and VL chain and CDRs having the amino acid sequences as depicted in the respective SEQ ID NOs but also mutated polypeptides having said amino acid sequences with partial modification thereof. Thus, the antibody and a fragment thereof of the present invention includes polypeptides that have any of the amino acid sequences as depicted in the respective SEQ ID NOs with one or more amino acid residues therein being substituted, deleted, inserted and/or added and that may serve as a complementarity determining region of H chain or L chain to amyloid β peptide or as a variable region of the H chain or the L chain.

The phrase “with one or more amino acid residues therein being substituted, deleted, inserted and/or added” as used herein means that an amino acid or amino acids is/are substituted, deleted, inserted and/or added in such a number that may ordinarily be introduced by the techniques for preparing mutated proteins known in the art such as site-directed mutagenesis, for instance, in a number of 1 to around 6. Such “mutation” chiefly refers to ones artificially introduced by the techniques for preparing mutated proteins known in the art but may also be obtained as a consequence of isolation and purification of naturally occurring, e.g. in human, polypeptides likewise mutated.

In case that the antibody and a fragment thereof of the present invention is used as a medicament for the treatment, i.e. when administered to human, “mutation” may be done in such an extent that a human-derived structure may be retained or a human does not induce an immune response. For use as a detection device or a diagnosing kit, i.e. when not administered to a human, “mutation” may be done without limitation.

The VH chain and/or VL chain as disclosed by the present invention, though being obtained chiefly in the form of scFv with phage display technique, may not be limited to scFv in principle. For instance, the present invention may also encompass other antibody fragments, including a whole antibody comprising the disclosed VH chain and/or VL chain bound to a constant region of a human immunoglobulin, or Fab, Fab′ or F(ab′)₂ comprising the disclosed VH chain and/or VL chain bound to a portion of a constant region of a human immunoglobulin, or a single chain antibody (scAb) comprising scFv bound to a domain from a constant region of H chain or L chain of a human immunoglobulin, or scFvFc comprising scFv bound to a whole constant region of H chain or L chain of a human immunoglobulin, and the like.

Alternatively, the antibody or a fragment thereof of the present invention may be fused with peptides or other proteins to form a fused antibody or a fragment thereof.

Besides, the antibody or a fragment thereof or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof as described above may also be fused with a high molecular weight modifying agent such as polyethylene glycol to form a modified antibody or a fragment thereof.

For preparing scFv wherein H chain and L chain are linked together via a linker, a peptide linker, e.g. any single chain peptide comprising 10 to 25 amino acid residues, may be used.

The antibody or a fragment thereof, the fused antibody or a fragment thereof, or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof as described above may be utilized as a reagent for detecting Aβ, as an agent for inhibiting Aβ aggregation, or as a medicament for the prophylaxis and treatment of Alzheimer dementia where Aβ is involved, or its diagnostics.

The antibody or a fragment thereof of the present invention may be expressed in a suitable host, e.g. bacteria, yeasts, by introducing genes coding for the VH chain and the VL chain of the respective clones obtained in accordance with the present invention as depicted in SEQ ID NOs: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, and 105.

Alternatively, the genes of the present invention may be used as a genetic medicament for Alzheimer dementia where Aβ is involved.

The present invention is explained in more detail by means of the following Examples but should not be construed to be limited thereto.

Example 1 Construction of Phage Library from Healthy Donors

Phage library was constructed using as a starting material lymphocytes from peripheral blood taken from 20 healthy donors, referring to J. D. Marks et al., J. Mol. Biol., 222: 581-597, 1991. It was estimated that each of the constructed sublibraries VH(γ)-Vκ, VH(γ)-Vλ, VH(μ)-Vκ, and VH(μ)-Vλ exhibited diversity of 1.1×10⁸, 2.1×10⁸, 8.4×10⁷ and 5.3×10⁷ clones, respectively.

Example 2 Panning

Aβ42 peptide (1 μg) dissolved in 0.1 M carbonate buffer, pH 9.6 was added to Cova-link plate (Nunc) activated with 125 μg/ml of DSS 100 μL and the plate was left to stand at 4° C. overnight.

The plate was washed once with PBS containing 0.1% Tween 20 and blocked with 0.5% gelatin for the first selection and with 0.25% BSA for the second selection.

To the plate was added each 100 μL (5×10¹¹ tu/mL) of the antibody phage library derived from healthy donors, a solution of the single chain antibody display phage, divided into either a mixture of VH(γ)-Vκ and VH(γ)-Vλ or a mixture of VH(μ)-Vκ and VH(μ)-Vλ, for reaction at room temperature for 1 hour.

After washing the plate ten times with 0.1% Tween20-PBS, 100 μL glycine buffer (pH 2.2) was added to elute single chain antibody display phages bound to IL-18. After adjusting pH by adding 1 M Tris (hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane-HCl, pH 9.1, the eluted phages were infected to E. coli TG1 cells at logarithmic growth phase. The infected TG1 cells were centrifuged at 3,000×g for 10 minutes. After supernatant was removed, the cells were suspended in 200 μL 2×YT culture medium, plated on SOBAG plate (SOB plate containing 2% glucose, 100 μg/ml ampicillin) and then incubated overnight in an incubator at 30° C. The resulting colonies were suspended and recovered in a suitable amount of 2×YT culture medium with a scraper (Costar).

The obtained TG1 solution (50 μL) was inoculated on 30 mL 2×YT culture medium and rescued with a helper phage to prepare a phage library after screening. For each of the phage libraries VH(γ)-Vκ/VH(γ)-Vλ and VH(μ)-Vκ/VH(μ)-Vλ derived from healthy donors, two pannings in total were performed with the plate immobilized with Aβ42 peptide. After the second panning, any clone was extracted arbitrarily from the SOBAG plate. The scFv expression was confirmed, specificity was confirmed by Aβ42 peptide ELISA and a nucleotide sequence was analyzed.

Example 3 Aβ42 Peptide Elisa for Screening

For screening the isolated clones, ELISA was performed as described below. Aβ42 peptide was immobilized on an ELISA plate for screening. Each 40 μL/well of Aβ42 peptide (1.25 μg/mL) and a human serum albumin (HSA; 2.5 μg/mL) were placed in an ELISA plate (Nunc) which was left to stand at 4° C. for 16 hours for immobilization. The immobilized plate was added with a PBS solution (400 μL/well) containing 0.5% BSA, 0.5% gelatin and 5% skimmed milk and was left to stand at 4° C. for 2 hours for blocking.

To the plate were added sample solutions (40 μL/well) containing scFv display phage for reaction. The sample solutions were discarded and the plate was washed five times with a washing solution. The plate was reacted with biotin-labeled anti-M13 monoclonal antibody (Pharmacia biotech) and then with anti-mouse IgG antibody labeled with alkaline phosphatase (AP). After washing five times with a washing solution, the plate was added with 50 μL/well of a developing solution of a substrate, i.e. a PBS solution containing 1 g/mL p-nitrophenyl phosphate (Wako) and 10% diethanolamine (Wako), light-shielded, and developed at room temperature to 37° C. for 5 to 10 minutes. Absorbance at 405 nm was measured using Multiplate Autoreader NJ-2001 (Inter Med). As a result, all the clones estimated were confirmed to be specific to Aβ42 peptide.

Example 4 Sequence Analysis of Clones

A DNA nucleotide sequence of the isolated clones was determined for scFv gene VH and VL using Dye terminator cycle sequencing FS Ready Reaction kit (Applied Biosystems). As a result of ELISA and sequence analysis, the isolated clones were classified into six variants of scFv and one VL.

Example 5 Expression and Purification of Human-Derived Anti-Aβ42 Peptide scFv

Plasmid DNAs were recovered from the scFv clones reactive with Aβ42 peptide isolated in Examples 2 and 3 and were used for transfecting E. coli HB2151 in conventional manner. The transfected E. coli cells were preincubated overnight in 2×YT culture medium containing 2% glucose and 100 μg/mL of ampicillin. A portion of the culture was then transferred to glucose-free 2×YT culture medium, to which IPTG at a final concentration of 1 mM and 100 μg/mL of ampicillin were further added for culture overnight to induce expression of scFv. After completion of culture, the cells were recovered by centrifuge, suspended in PBS containing 1 mM EDTA and left to stand in ice for 30 minutes. Next, the cells were centrifuged at 8,900×g for 30 minutes. Supernatant was recovered and passed through 0.45 μm filter and the filtrate was used as a starting material for purification of scFv from the periplasm fraction.

The thus prepared starting material for purification was purified by affinity purification using an anti-E tag antibody in a conventional manner. After dialysis with PBS, endotoxins were removed with Detoxi-gel (PIERCE) according to the protocol attached thereto. After concentration with Centricon (Amicon) with a cutoff of a molecular weight 10,000, the concentrate was passed through 0.45 μm filter to prepare a purified product.

Example 6 Binding Property of Purified scFv to Aβ42 Peptide

A binding property of the purified scFv to Aβ42 peptide was then measured by ELISA. The purified antibody (100 μL) was added to a 96-well plate (NUNC. MAXISORP) with immobilized Aβ42 peptide, which was adjusted to 1.25 μg/mL with PBS for reaction, at 37° C. for 1 hour. After washing five times with 0.050 Tween-PBS (hereinafter also referred to as “PBST”), the plate was reacted with an anti-E tag antibody at 37° C. for 1 hour. After further washing with PBST five times, the plate was reacted with an anti-mouse IgG antibody labeled with alkali phosphatase (AP) at 37° C. for 1 hour. After washing five times with PBST, a developing substrate was added to the plate for stain and absorbance at 405 nm was measured to estimate the binding property. The results are shown in FIG. 1. All the five variants of scFv which could be estimated with sufficient expression were proved to specifically bind to Aβ42 peptide. Although data are not shown, the other scFv, B7, also specifically bound to Aβ42 peptide.

Example 7 Analysis of Specificity of Purified scFv

A binding property of scFv to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide was measured by ELISA. The purified scFv (100 μL) from the periplasm fraction of E. coli was added to a 96-well plate (NUNC. MAXISORP) with immobilized fibrillar Aβ42 peptide, soluble Aβ42 peptide, being adjusted to 1.25 μg/mL with PBS, 5 μg/mL of mouse IgG and 0.5% gelatin alone for reaction at 37° C. for 1 hour. After washing five times with 0.05% Tween-PBS (hereinafter also referred to as “PBST”), the plate was reacted with a biotin-modified anti-E tag antibody at 37° C. for 1 hour. After further washing with PBST five times, the plate was reacted with streptavidin labeled with alkali phosphatase (AP) at 37° C. for 30 minutes. After washing five times with PBST, a developing substrate was added to the plate for stain and absorbance at 405 nm was measured to estimate the binding property. The results are shown in FIG. 2. All the six variants of scFv estimated were proved to strongly bind to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide as well as soluble Aβ42 peptide.

Example 8 Expression and Purification of Human-Derived Anti-Aβ42 Peptide VL Chain

Among the clones reactive with Aβ42 peptide isolated in Examples 2 and 3, one clone was consisted of JH chain in portion and VL chain. From the DNA of this clone, the VK chain region alone was recloned by PCR to thereby add a recognition site for the restriction enzyme SfiI at 5′ end and a recognition site for the restriction enzyme NotI at 3′ end. After cleavage with these restriction enzymes and purification on agarose gel electrophoresis, VL chain of this clone was incorporated into pTrc99A-D1+D2-His, an expression vector for expression in the form of a fused protein with D1 and D2 domains of g3 protein from fibrous phages to which end His₆ is bound. The resulting expression vector was used to transfect E. coli JM83. The transfectant cells were cultured as described in Example 5 and VL-D1-D2-His₆ protein was recovered from the periplasm fraction of E. coli. After Western blot analysis, expression of the fused protein with a band of 47 Kda as designed was confirmed (FIG. 3).

Example 9 Binding Property of VL Chain to Aβ42 Peptide

The VL chain (40 μL/well) recovered in Example 8 was added to an ELISA plate and the plate was left to stand at room temperature for 6 hours. After washing once with PBS containing 0.1% Tween 20, the plate was blocked with 0.25% BSA. To the plate were added 100 ng/well of Aβ42 peptide, MCP-1, IL-5, human prion or bovine prion (PrPc102-241 InPro BioTech) for reaction at 37° C. for 1 hour. After washing five times with PBST, the plate was further reacted with secondary antibodies for the respective antigens, i.e. an anti-Aβ42 monoclonal antibody, an anti-MCP-1 monoclonal antibody, an anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody, and an anti-prion monoclonal antibody. After washing with PBST five times, the plate was reacted with an anti-mouse antibody labeled with alkali phosphatase at 37° C. for 1 hour. After washing five times with PBST, a developing substrate was added to the plate for stain and absorbance at 405 nm was measured to estimate the binding property. The results are shown in FIG. 4. The estimated VL specifically bound to Aβ42 peptide.

Example 10 Estimation of Ability of Purified scFv to Inhibit Aβ42 Peptide Aggregation

The purified scFv as prepared in Example 5 was used to estimate its ability to inhibit Aβ42 peptide aggregation. Estimation of the inhibitory ability to aggregation was done with fluorescent thioflavin test wherein progress of fibrillar amyloid formation was observed. A sample of the purified scFv at 220 nM was diluted to 4 nM with 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH6.5, containing 10 μM thioflavin and stirred at room temperature for 2 minutes, at which 1% wt/wt of a seed aggregate, previously sonicated for inhibition of macromolecule formation, was also added simultaneously. Fluorescence at 482 nm for excitation beam of thioflavin dye at 450 nm was measured (Hitachi, F-3000) to estimate formation of aggregates. As a result, all the four clones estimated were proved to inhibit the aggregation (FIG. 5).

Example 11 Estimation of Concentration-Dependency in Ability of Purified scFv to Inhibit Aβ42 Peptide Aggregation

The purified scFv as prepared in Example 5 was used to estimate concentration-dependency in the ability to inhibit Aβ42 peptide aggregation. Estimation of the inhibitory ability to aggregation was done as in Example 10 with fluorescent thioflavin test wherein progress of fibrillar amyloid formation was observed. To 20 μM Aβ42 were added control scFv and the purified scFv, Fv1E4 and B7, at 0-40 μg/ml and the mixture was left to stand at 37° C. for 24 hours. After the concentration of Aβ42 was adjusted to 2 μM, thioflavin T was added at 10 μM and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 minutes. Fluorescence at 482 nm for excitation beam of thioflavin dye at 450 nm was measured (Hitachi, F-3000) to estimate formation of aggregates. As a result, both two clones estimated were proved to inhibit the aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner (FIGS. 6 and 7).

Example 12 Binding Property of scFv Display Phage to Fibrillar Aβ42 Peptide

A binding property of scFv display phage to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide was measured by ELISA. Each 40 μL/well of fibrillar Aβ42 peptide and soluble Aβ42 peptide, each adjusted to 50 ng/mL with PBS, and Aβ serum diluted by 1,000 folds were added to an ELISA plate (Nunc) and the plate was left to stand at 4° C. for 6 hours for immobilization. A PBS solution (400 μL/well) containing 0.25% BSA was added to the immobilized ELISA plate and the plate was left to stand at 4° C. overnight for blocking.

To the plate was added a sample solution (40 μL/well) containing scFv display phage for reaction and then the sample solution was discarded and the plate was washed five times with a washing solution. The plate was reacted with an anti-M13 monoclonal antibody (Pharmacia biotech) labeled with biotin and then with an anti-mouse IgG antibody labeled with alkali phosphatase (AP). After washing five times with a washing solution, a solution (50 μL/well) containing a developing substrate, i.e. PBS solution containing 1 g/mL p-nitrophenyl phosphate (Wako) and 10% ethanolamine (Wako), was added to the plate, light-shielded, absorbance at 405 nm was measured using Multiplate Autoreader NJ-2001 (Inter Med). As a result, all the clones estimated were proved to be specific to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide (FIG. 8).

Example 13 Binding Property of scFv to Fibrillar Aβ42 Peptide

A binding property of scFv to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide was measured by ELISA. Each 40 μL/well of sample solutions containing 3 μg/mL of scFv purified as described in Example 5 was added to the plate as described in Example 12 for reaction. The sample solutions were discarded and the plate was washed five times with a washing solution. The plate was reacted with an anti-Etag mAb (1:1000) and then with a goat anti-mouse IgG (1:1000) labeled with alkali phosphatase. The treatment with a solution containing a developing substrate and the measurement as described in Example 12 were repeated. As a result, the B6 and F10 clones estimated were proved to be specific to fibrillar Aβ42 peptide (FIG. 9).

Example 14 Estimation of Ability of Purified scFv to Inhibit Aβ42 Peptide Aggregation

The purified scFv as prepared in Example 13 was used to estimate its ability to inhibit Aβ42 peptide aggregation. Estimation of the inhibitory ability to aggregation was done with fluorescent thioflavin test wherein progress of fibrillar amyloid formation was observed. To a sample was added scFv at a final concentration of 40 μg/ml and the mixture was left to stand. At each fixed time, the sample was collected to adjust a concentration of Aβ to 2 μM, added with thioflavin T at 10 μM and left to stand at room temperature for 2 minutes. Fluorescence at 482 nm for excitation beam of thioflavin dye at 450 nm was measured (Hitachi, F-3000) to estimate formation of aggregates with passage of time. As a result, all the three clones estimated were proved to inhibit the aggregation (FIG. 10).

Example 15 Estimation of Concentration-Dependency in Ability of Purified scFv to Inhibit Aβ42 Peptide Aggregation

The purified scFv as prepared in Example 13 was used to estimate concentration-dependency in the ability to inhibit Aβ42 peptide aggregation. Estimation of the inhibitory ability to aggregation was done as in Example 14 with fluorescent thioflavin test wherein progress of fibrillar amyloid formation was observed. To 20 μM Aβ42 were added control scFv and the purified scFv at a final concentration of 0-40 μg/ml and the mixture was left to stand at 37° C. for 24 hours. After the concentration of Aβ42 was adjusted to 2 μM, thioflavin T was added at 10 μM and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 minutes. Fluorescence at 482 nm for excitation beam of thioflavin dye at 450 nm was measured (Hitachi, F-3000) to estimate formation of aggregates. As a result, the three clones estimated were proved to inhibit the aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner (FIG. 11).

Example 16 Expression and Preparation of tat Peptide-Fused Human-Derived Anti-Aβ42 Peptide VL Chain

To the Aβ42 peptide specific VL chain gene constructed in Example 8 was added at its 5′ end HIV tat peptide sequence (Met Gly Tyr Gly Arg Lys Lys Arg Arg Gln Arg Arg Arg Gly) (SEQ ID NO: 106) by PCR and was incorporated into pET-29b vector (Novagen) with the restriction enzyme sites NdeI and NotI. After transfection into E. coli BL21 (DE3) star, the tat-VL chain was expressed as an inclusion body by IPTG induction. The cells were collected, sonicated and centrifuged and the supernatant was removed. Insoluble fractions were solubilized with 6 N guanidine hydrochloride. The obtained solubilized fractions were applied to Ni-NTA column in the presence of 6 N guanidine hydrochloride. After washing the column, proteins bound to the column were eluted with imidazole to provide a fraction of purified tat-VL chain, which was subjected to refolding process by step-wise dialysis as described below. The fraction was adjusted with a solution containing 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 10 mM β-ME, 1 mM EDTA, 200 mM NaCl and 6 M Gdn HCl to prepare a 7.5 μM tat-VL chain solution which was dialyzed with the same solution excluding β-ME for 2 hours. The fraction was further dialyzed with 6 M Gdn HCl for 3 hours, with 3 M Gdn HCl for 6 hours, with 2 M Gdn HCl for 12 hours, with 1 M Gdn HCl/375 μM GSSG/200 mM L-Arginine for 12 hours, with 0.5 M Gdn HCl/375 μM GSSG/200 mM L-Arginine for 12 hours, and with PBS for 12 hours to prepare a tat-VL chain finally in a refolded form.

Example 17 Estimation of Binding Property of tat Peptide-Fused VL Chain to Aβ42 Peptide

The tat peptide-fused VL chain (40 μL/well) recovered in Example 16 was added to an ELISA plate and the plate was left to stand at 4° C. for 12 hours. After washing once with PBS containing 0.1% tween, the plate was blocked with 0.5% gelatin. To the plate were added 100 ng/well of Aβ42 peptide, MCP-1, mouse IgG or goat IgG for reaction at 37° C. for 1 hour. After washing five times with PBST, the plate was further reacted with secondary antibodies for the respective antigens, i.e. an anti-Aβ42 monoclonal antibody, an anti-MCP-1 monoclonal antibody and an anti-goat IgG antibody, with the exception of mouse IgG which was used as it was without washing. After washing with PBST five times, the plate was reacted with an anti-mouse antibody labeled with alkali phosphatase at 37° C. for 1 hour. After washing five times with PBST, a developing substrate was added to the plate for stain and absorbance at 405 nm was measured to estimate the binding property. The results are shown in FIG. 12. The purified tat peptide-fused VL as estimated specifically bound to Aβ42 peptide.

Example 18 Estimation of Ability of tat Peptide-Fused VL Chain to Inhibit Aβ42 Peptide Aggregation

The purified tat peptide-fused VL chain as prepared in Example 16 was used to estimate its ability to inhibit Aβ42 peptide aggregation. Estimation of the inhibitory ability to aggregation was done with fluorescent thioflavin test wherein progress of fibrillar amyloid formation was observed as described in Example 10. As a result, the purified tat peptide-fused VL chain estimated was proved to inhibit the aggregation (FIG. 13). 

1. An isolated human antibody against amyloid β peptide 1-42 (Aβ42) that binds to Aβ42, wherein the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 of the H chain of the antibody are SEQ ID NOs: 62-64, respectively, and the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 of the L chain of the antibody are SEQ ID NOs: 67-69, respectively.
 2. The human antibody according to claim 1, wherein the antibody comprises the H chain variable region amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 61 and the L chain variable region amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
 66. 3. The human antibody according to claim 1, wherein said Aβ42 is fibrillar Aβ42.
 4. A single chain variable region fragment of a human-derived anti-Aβ42 antibody comprising: a) an H-chain variable region fragment of a human antibody against amyloid β peptide 1-42 (Aβ42), wherein the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 of the H-chain variable region fragment are SEQ ID NOs: 62-64, respectively; and b) an L-chain variable region fragment of a human antibody against amyloid β peptide 1-42 (Aβ42), wherein said single chain variable region fragment binds Aβ42.
 5. A human-derived anti-Aβ42 antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds Aβ42 and comprises a constant region of a human-derived antibody linked to: a) an H-chain variable region fragment of a human antibody against amyloid β peptide 1-42 (Aβ42), wherein the amino acid sequences of CDRs 1-3 of the H-chain variable region are SEQ ID NOs: 62-64, respectively; and b) an L-chain variable region fragment of a human anti-Aβ42 antibody.
 6. The antibody fragment according to claim 5, wherein said antibody fragment is Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)₂, scAb, or scFv-Fc.
 7. The antibody according to claim 1, wherein the antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof is fused to a peptide or other protein.
 8. The antibody according to claim 1, wherein the antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof is bound to a modifying agent, or the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is fused to a peptide or other protein and bound to a modifying agent.
 9. A reagent for detection of Aβ42 employing the antibody according to claim 1, or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim 7, or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim
 8. 10. A diagnostic for Alzheimer dementia employing the antibody according to claim 1, or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim 7, or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim
 8. 11. An inhibitor to Aβ42 aggregation employing the antibody according to claim 1, or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim 7, or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim
 8. 12. A medicament for the treatment of Alzheimer dementia employing the antibody according to claim 1, or the fused antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim 7, or the modified antibody or a fragment thereof according to claim
 8. 